Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Many still consider this match be the finest performance by the finest vintage of Liverpool teams throughout the club’s history, Just before Liverpool clinched the First Division title in 1988, Liverpool hit five without reply and Brian Clough’s team knew they had been let off lightly. Just four days earlier Liverpool had beaten Forest 2-1 in the semi-final of the FA Cup at Hillsborough, and just a few weeks later Forest would finish third in the First Division. In front of almost 40,000 at Anfield, Aldridge scored twice while Gary Gillespie, Peter Beardsley and Ray Houghton also found the net…. The legendary Sir Tom Finney said of the game:Â “It was the finest exhibition I’ve seen the whole time I’ve played and watched the game. You couldn’t see it bettered anywhere, not even in Brazil.” Ten days later Liverpool clinched their 17th Championship and their 9th in 14 seasons!

Liverpool dominated the match from start to finish, and took the lead in the eighteenth minute. Alan Hansen won the ball in his own half, and played a through-ball to Ray Houghton, who ran diagonally towards the opposition penalty area. He played a one-two with John Barnes, before beating Des Walker and lifting the ball over goalkeeper Steve Sutton under pressure from close range. The second goal also began in Liverpool's half - Peter Beardsley received the ball, and in one motion played in a long-distance pass in front of John Aldridge, who was between two defenders. Aldridge ran onto the pass, and clipped it over the advancing 'keeper from the edge of the area. In the second half, Liverpool made it 3–0, an unmarked Gary Gillespie smashing a John Aldridge cross into the roof of the net from inside the penalty area in the 58th minute. The fourth goal came in the 79th minute. The move started on the left wing, Barnes beat two defenders before approaching the penalty area, and cutting the ball back to an advancing Beardsley, who hit a low drive into the bottom right-hand corner.

Liverpool rounded off the scoring in the 88th minute - a long ball from Bruce Grobbelaar was cleared by Steve Chettle, but Nigel Spackman won the ball back as Forest tried to move forward. He continued running into the area and received the ball back from Beardsley, before cutting the ball across for Aldridge to score his second from close range. John Motson, who was commentating on the game, described it as "almost fantasy football". Liverpool's performance was described by former England international Tom Finney as "the finest exhibition of attacking football ever seen"., while former European Footballer of the Year Michel Platini said Liverpool resembled "a continental team, not an English one". In his 1999 autobiography, John Barnes said it was "the best Liverpool performance he ever played in.